A Comparative Modeling of Supernova 1993J

Abstract

The light curve of supernova (SN) 1993J is calculated using two approaches to radiation transport as exemplified by the two computer codes, STELLA and EDDINGTON. Particular attention is paid to shock breakout and the photometry in the U, B, and V bands during the first 120 days. The hydrodynamical model, the explosion of a 13 M_☉ star that has lost most of its hydrogenic envelope to a companion, is the same in each calculation. The comparison elucidates differences between the approaches and also serves to validate the results of both. STELLA includes implicit hydrodynamics and is able to model supernova evolution at early times, before the expansion is homologous. STELLA also employs multigroup photonics and is able to follow the radiation as it decouples from the matter. EDDINGTON uses a different algorithm for integrating the transport equation, assumes homologous expansion, and uses a finer frequency resolution. Good agreement is achieved between the two codes only when compatible physical assumptions are made about the opacity. In particular, the line opacity near the principal (second) peak of the light curve must be treated primarily as absorptive, even though the electron density is too small for collisional deexcitation to be a dominant photon destruction mechanism. Justification is given for this assumption and involves the degradation of photon energy by "line splitting," i.e., fluorescence. The fact that absorption versus scattering matters to the light curve is indicative of the fact that departures from equilibrium radiative diffusion are important. A new result for SN 1993J is a prediction of the continuum spectrum near the shock breakout (calculated by STELLA), which is superior to the results of other standard single energy group hydrocodes such as VISPHOT or TITAN. Based on the results of our independent codes, we discuss the uncertainties involved in the current time-dependent models of supernova light curves.